I am very pleased to announce the XIX Congress of the Italian Society of Movement Analysis in Clinic which will be held in Florence from 3rd to the 6th of October 2018. Florence is the city known as “cradle” of the Renaissance period. Millions of people from all over the world come to admire its outstanding works of art in which the body and its movements are a constant and predominant leitmotiv.
2018 will see Florence as the “cradle” of the XIX Congress SIAMOC. Researchers from various disciplines are invited to bring their contributions on what science is continuing to unveil about this complex and fascinating human expression.
Also this year the Congress will allow a constructive dialogue between the most experienced and the younger researchers on the themes of the Italian Society of Movement Analysis in Clinic.
The aim of the Congress is to promote the development and clinical applications of the instrumental methods of analysis of posture and movement for the study of the pathophysiological mechanisms of motor disorders, the functional diagnosis and prevention of the pathologies of the musculoskeletal system and for the evaluation and planning of the efficacy of therapeutic-rehabilitation treatments.
Special attention will also be paid to all the aspects of orthopedic prosthetic surgery support and to the analysis of the rehabilitation phases.
The structure of the Congress will include as usual an alternation of speeches held by prestigious researchers, as well as thematic sessions and poster sessions in which the researchers will have the opportunity to illustrate their latest activities.
There will also be joint sessions with the SINC (Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology) and with the SIBOT (Italian Society of Biomechanics in Orthopedics and Traumatology).
During the morning of the first day, three pre-conference courses will be held on topics such as falls analysis, new procedures for performance analysis in sport and the integration of neurophysiology with biomechanical analysis of the movement.
Also of great relevance will be the participation of companies that, in specific designated spaces, will be able to show all participants their latest innovations in products.
We will also give space to the convivial aspects, always important for the direct exchange of experiences amongst participants.
The venue of the Congress will be the IRCCS Rehabilitation Center of the Don Carlo Gnocchi Foundation. It is located at the gates of Florence, easily accessible from the city center by public and private transportation.

It will be a great honor for me to meet you in Florence, hoping to share with you significant experiences of research and innovation.

Maurizio FerrarinSIAMOC President

It is with pleasure that I greet the XIX SIAMOC National Congress in Florence. This wonderful city that the world envies us for its treasures of art and culture will welcome all participants. Professor Andrea Corvi and his staff, assisted by the Scientific Committee, are organizing a high-profile event.

It will be an excellent opportunity for all the operators of the sector, researchers or professionals of this field, to know and discuss the latest news about instrumental analysis of the movement and its applications in the clinic. It will also be a wonderful opportunity for the youngest researchers to meet international experts, as well as to make the results of their activities known to the Italian scientific community. Just like the last editions, the SIAMOC congress will also be an important moment of exchange between the professional figures who develop the tools and methods of analysis of the movement and those who use them in clinical and professional practice. This is an exchange that allows for the best orientation of technological developments and for the solving of concrete application problems.

Cross-cultural and intergenerational exchange are also among the main objectives of SIAMOC. Therefore this year, in the Board of Directors, we have decided to offer a good number of conference awards to facilitate the participation of young researchers. During the congress the customary prizes will be awarded for the best clinical and methodological works. The works of the winners will also be proposed for fast-track publication procedure in an international journal. Furthermore, the will be assigning stage awards at Italian and foreign laboratories, offered by companies to young researchers. Finally, at the Florence congress the SIAMOC this year three-year degrees and master’s degrees will also be awarded.

The great effort for the organization of the National Congress is sided by the training initiatives that SIAMOC offers throughout the year: courses in data interpretation, surface EMG course, path analysis challenge course, workshop days. In addition, to encourage interest in this discipline even in non-professional figures, starting this year we propose free half-day promotional mini-sessions to be held in all Italian regions. These will be held at the request of specific local realities: hospitals, universities, IRCCS, clinical centers and other interested institutional or corporate entities. For more details and information, you can visit the SIAMOC website.

I am very grateful to all those who will contribute to this event with their expertise and professionalism and in particular I thank the President of the Congress and his staff, the Scientific and Organizing Committees, and the IRCCS Don Gnocchi Foundation of Florence that will host us from the 3rd to the 6th of October. The success of a Congress depends not only on a competent and scientifically valid organization, but also on the lively and energetic activity of all participants. That’s why I invite you to be an active part of the XIX SIAMOC Congress and to send your scientific contributions to the event.